Former mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor is seeking to introduce new evidence in his appeal against a civil jury’s finding that he s*xually assaulted Nikita Hand in December 2018.
McGregor’s legal team is putting forth what they describe as “bombshell evidence” they claim proves their client was not responsible for the extensive bruising found on Hand’s body – a key element in the civil case that resulted in McGregor being ordered to pay $280,000 in damages and $1,700,000 in legal fees.
The bruising on Hand’s body played a significant role in the original trial. As noted during court proceedings, an experienced paramedic who transported Hand to the hospital stated she “had not seen such bruising on a person for a long time,” while a doctor characterized her injuries as “moderate to severe.”
During the trial, Mr. Justice Sheamus Nunan pointed out that McGregor “couldn’t put forward a plausible alternative explanation” for Hand’s injuries. McGregor’s attorneys had previously suggested the bruising might have been caused by medication Hand was taking or from jumping into a bathtub. RTE was the first to report.
Now, McGregor’s team seeks to introduce testimony from neighbors who lived across the street from Hand. According to Irish news outlet RTE, Samantha O’Reilly claims in her affidavit that she witnessed an altercation between Hand and her former partner, Steven Redmond, on the night of December 9, 2018, extending into the early hours of December 10.
“Ms. O’Reilly was alleging that she had seen a row from her bedroom window between Ms. Hand and her former partner,” reports indicate. “In her affidavit, Ms. O’Reilly claims she was woken up by screaming and shouting.”
The testimony further alleges, “Ms. O’Reilly described seeing Mr. Redmond push Ms. Hand and Ms. Hand fell to the floor. Ms. O’Reilly said she could not actually see Ms. Hand on the ground but said Mr. Redmond’s movements indicated that he was punching and kicking Ms Hand.”
It’s worth noting that Hand and Redmond have since ended their relationship, and he was not her partner during the civil case last year.
Hand’s legal team is vigorously challenging this new evidence. Hand has filed an affidavit describing these allegations as “untrue and are lies.” Her attorneys have also questioned why these witnesses did not come forward until now, pointing out that O’Reilly only contacted McGregor via Instagram after seeing television coverage about the high court case in November last year.
The judge has directed that both sides will be permitted to cross-examine witnesses regarding their sworn statements when the appeal is heard. A full assessment of the credibility of the new evidence is scheduled for early July.
The original allegations against McGregor were deemed insufficient by the Director of Public Prosecutions to warrant a criminal trial, but the civil case resulted in a finding of liability against the Irish sports star.
